Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-102

§1854 Trees Boxed for Pitch or Turpentine

Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 91 — PUBLIC LANDS › § 1854

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Anyone who cuts, chips, chops, or boxes trees on U.S. public land, or on land under unsettled federal claims, to get pitch, turpentine, or similar substances, or anyone who knowingly buys or otherwise gets such substances or things made from them, can be fined, jailed for not more than one year, or both.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §1854

Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whoever cuts, chips, chops, or boxes any tree upon any lands belonging to the United States, or upon any lands covered by or embraced in any unperfected settlement, application, filing, entry, selection, or location, made under any law of the United States, for the purpose of obtaining from such tree any pitch, turpentine, or other substance; or Whoever buys, trades for, or in any manner acquires any pitch, turpentine, or other substance, or any article or commodity made from any such pitch, turpentine, or other substance, with knowledge that the same has been so unlawfully obtained— Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 105 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 51, 35 Stat. 1098). Reference to persons aiding, encouraging, or causing was deleted as unnecessary since such persons are made principals by section 2 of this title. Maximum fine was increased from $500 to $1,000 to conform to other comparable sections of this chapter. (See section 1851 and 1852 of this title.) Minor changes also were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996—Pub. L. 104–294 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000” in last par.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 1854

Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102